Tango argentino is the authentic, traditional dance music born in the working-class neighborhoods of Buenos Aires and Montevideo during the late 19th century, characterized by its dramatic bandoneón-led melodies, syncopated rhythms, and profound melancholy known as tristeza criolla. Unlike the broader "tango" umbrella that encompasses international interpretations and fusion experiments, tango argentino adheres to the Golden Age orchestra formations (1930s-1950s) and the social dance codes of the milonga, where orchestras like those of Juan D'Arienzo's driving rhythmic pulse or Aníbal Troilo's lyrical sophistication set the standards. The music walks a tightrope between structure and improvisation, featuring intricate arrangements for bandoneón, violin, piano, and double bass, often accompanied by vocalists who deliver poetic lyrics about love, betrayal, and urban solitude with operatic intensity.
While sharing geographic roots with Argentina's broader musical landscape, tango argentino distinguishes itself through its European harmonic complexity and African-influenced milonga rhythms, creating a sound more architecturally sophisticated than folk traditions yet earthier than classical compositions. The genre evolved from its raw, sensual origins into the orchestral elegance of Osvaldo Pugliese's rebellious dissonances and the refined arrangements of Julio De Caro, before Astor Piazzolla controversially pushed boundaries into nuevo tango—a tension between preservation and innovation that still defines the genre.
Tango argentino demands your attention because it captures the entire spectrum of human passion in three minutes: the violence of desire, the dignity of loss, and the defiant embrace of fate. This is music that doesn't just accompany dance—it commands bodies to move, hearts to break, and souls to remember that beauty and pain are inseparable.
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List updated:
| #55 | ByAnibal Troilo Y Su Orquesta Tipica | Released:1953 | tangotango argentino | ||
| #75 | ByAnibal Troilo | Released:1960 | tangotango argentino | ||
| #95 | ByOsvaldo Pugliese | Released:1966 | |||
| #54 | ByAnibal Troilo | Released:1968 | tangotango argentino | ||
| #56 | ByTita Merello | Released:1970 | tango argentino | ||
| #8 | ByFrancisco Canaro | Released:1971 | tangotango argentino | ||
| #52 | ByAstor Piazzolla | Released:1973 | tango argentino | ||
| #48 | ByAlberto Marino | Released:1974 | tango argentino | ||
| #64 | ByAstor Piazzolla | Released:1974 | tango argentino | ||
| #93 | ByCarlos Gardel | Released:1974 | tangotango argentino | ||
| #11 | ByAstor Piazzolla & Gerry Mulligan | Released:1975 | tango argentino | ||
| #87 | BySexteto Mayor | Released:1975 | |||
| #35 | ByAlberto Marino | Released:1976 | tango argentino | ||
| #67 | ByVarious Artists | Released:1977 | tangotango argentino | ||
| #80 | ByJorge Cumbo | Released:1977 | tango argentino | ||
| #12 | ByJulio De Caro | Released:1978 | tango argentino | ||
| #81 | ByAlfredo De Angelis | Released:1981 | |||
| #29 | ByLeopoldo Federico | Released:1982 | tango argentino | ||
| #58 | ByLeopoldo Federico | Released:1982 | tango argentino | ||
| #66 | ByLeopoldo Federico | Released:1982 | tango argentino | ||
| #50 | ByCuarteto Argentino De Tango | Released:1983 | tango argentino | ||
| #91 | ByOsvaldo Pugliese | Released:1983 | |||
| #69 | ByAnibal Troilo | Released:1984 | tangotango argentino | ||
| #78 | ByVarious Artists | Released:1987 | tangotango argentino | ||
| #97 | ByOsvaldo Pugliese | Released:1988 | |||
| #22 | ByAstor Piazzolla | Released:1991-01-16 | tango argentino | ||
| #5 | BySexteto Mayor | Released:1991 | tangotango argentino | ||
| #42 | BySexteto Mayor | Released:1991 | |||
| #53 | ByCarlos Gardel | Released:1991 | tangotango argentino | ||
| #90 | ByOsvaldo Pugliese | Released:1991 | |||
| #37 | ByJulio Sosa | Released:1992-04-21 | tango argentinotango | ||
| #49 | ByOsvaldo Pugliese | Released:1992 | |||
| #38 | ByAdriana Varela | Released:1993 | |||
| #72 | ByAstor Piazzolla | Released:1993 | tango argentino | ||
| #92 | ByAlfredo Sadel | Released:1994-01-19 | tango argentino | ||
| #23 | ByRoberto Goyeneche | Released:1994-08-02 | tangotango argentino | ||
| #26 | ByHector Varela | Released:1994 | tango argentino | ||
| #63 | ByAnibal Troilo | Released:1994 | tangotango argentino | ||
| #16 | ByOsvaldo Pugliese | Released:1995-01-01 | |||
| #17 | ByTita Merello | Released:1995-01-01 | tango argentino | ||
| #60 | ByAlfredo Gobbi | Released:1995 | tango argentino | ||
| #62 | ByAstor Piazzolla | Released:1995 | tango argentino | ||
| #36 | BySexteto Tango | Released:1997-10-04 | tango argentino | ||
| #71 | ByTita Merello | Released:1998-01-01 | tangotango argentino | ||
| #6 | ByCarlos Gardel | Released:1998 | tangotango argentino | ||
| #84 | BySexteto Tango | Released:1998 | |||
| #96 | ByAnibal Troilo | Released:1998 | tangotango argentino | ||
| #86 | BySexteto Mayor | Released:1999-01-01 | |||
| #1 | ByAstor Piazzolla & Kronos Quartet | Released:1999 | tangotango argentino | ||
| #28 | ByAnibal Troilo | Released:1999 | tangotango argentino | ||
| #76 | ByMariano Mores | Released:1999 | tango argentino | ||
| #57 | ByNuevo Quinteto Real | Released:2000-11-14 | tango argentino | ||
| #70 | ByAnibal Troilo | Released:2000 | tangotango argentino | ||
| #83 | ByAnibal Troilo | Released:2000 | tangotango argentino | ||
| #59 | ByHugo Diaz | Released:2001-01-01 | tangotango argentino | ||
| #45 | ByRoberto Goyeneche | Released:2001 | |||
| #43 | ByAstor Piazzolla | Released:2001 | tangotango argentino | ||
| #68 | ByOsvaldo Pugliese | Released:2001 | |||
| #9 | BySoledad | Released:2002 | |||
| #27 | ByAlberto Castillo | Released:2002 | tango argentino | ||
| #2 | ByRoberto Goyeneche | Released:2003-07-29 | tango argentinotango | ||
| #65 | ByVarious Artists | Released:2003 | tango argentino | ||
| #73 | ByOsvaldo Fresedo | Released:2003 | |||
| #15 | ByAnibal Troilo | Released:2004-07 | tangotango argentino | ||
| #74 | ByRoberto Goyeneche | Released:2004-09 | |||
| #24 | ByVarious Artists | Released:2004 | tango argentino | ||
| #46 | ByOrquesta El Arranque | Released:2004 | tangotango argentino | ||
| #41 | ByAlfredo De Angelis | Released:2005-05-10 | |||
| #13 | ByLucio Demare | Released:2005-07-19 | tango argentino | ||
| #4 | ByDaniel Melingo | Released:2005 | tango argentinotango | ||
| #7 | ByAstor Piazzolla | Released:2005 | tangotango argentino | ||
| #88 | ByJuan D'Arienzo | Released:2005 | tangotango argentino | ||
| #85 | ByAstor Piazzolla y su Quinteto " Nuevo Tango" | Released:2005 | tango argentino | ||
| #31 | ByErnesto Baffa | Released:2006-12-26 | tango argentino | ||
| #25 | ByOsvaldo Pugliese | Released:2006 | tangotango argentino | ||
| #30 | ByAlfredo De Angelis | Released:2006 | tango argentino | ||
| #32 | ByRoberto Goyeneche | Released:2007-03-02 | tango argentino | ||
| #34 | ByOrquesta Típica Tangarte | Released:2007-10-26 | tango argentino | ||
| #44 | ByMedialuna Tango Project | Released:2007-12-17 | tangotango argentino | ||
| #82 | ByOsmar Maderna | Released:2007 | tango argentino | ||
| #100 | ByDirk Van Esbroeck | Released:2007 | tango argentino | ||
| #98 | ByAlejandro Ziegler Cuarteto | Released:2008 | tango argentino | ||
| #18 | ByVarious Artists | Released:2010-06-22 | tango argentino | ||
| #39 | ByFrancisco Canaro | Released:2010-09-30 | tango argentino | ||
| #40 | ByOsvaldo Pugliese | Released:2010 | tangotango argentino | ||
| #79 | ByEnrique Rodriguez | Released:2012 | tangotango argentino | ||
| #19 | ByOsvaldo Fresedo | Released:2013 | tango argentino | ||
| #51 | ByLa Juan D'arienzo | Released:2014-09-20 | tangotango argentino | ||
| #99 | ByOsvaldo Fresedo | Released:2014-12-05 | |||
| #61 | ByEnrique Rodriguez | Released:2017-09-28 | tangotango argentino | ||
| #77 | ByFernando Serrano | Released:2020-05-01 | tango argentino | ||
| #33 | ByVarious Artists | Released:2022-04-14 | tango argentino | ||
| #47 | ByVarious Artists | Released:2024-08-15 | tangotango argentino | ||
| #3 | ByJuan D'Arienzo | Released: | tango argentinotango | ||
| #10 | ByOsvaldo Pugliese | Released: | tangotango argentino | ||
| #14 | ByManga De Tanos | Released: | tangotango argentino | ||
| #21 | ByAnibal Troilo, Rodolfo Biagi, Adolfo Carabelli | Released: | tango argentinotango | ||
| #20 | ByPedro Laurenz | Released: | tango argentino | ||
| #89 | ByJavier Tucat Moreno | Released: | tango argentino | ||
| #94 | ByCarlos Varela | Released: | tangotango argentino |